, issue by issue and how barack obama and mitt romney plan to tackle these key american challenges. before we get to that, here's a look at some of the top stories making news today. >>> a desperate search for two tennessee children today, their home burned down a week ago but police say still no trace of the children. suzannesan candiotti is joining. >> reporter: at this hour, state investigators are using teams of people using dogs to search a wider area of the woods on both sides of the road around the house that was insin rated. with absolutely no physical evidence that the children were home when their grand charparen died in that fire, investigators are doing all they can to find those children. investigator have found no sign of 9-year-old chloe and 7-year-old gauge daniel. no signing the youngsters were there and so far no evidence they weren't when an inferno swept through the home where they lived with their grandparents. friends an family don't understand and neither does anyone else. >> i think something's very fishy. >> the more you find out the more questions you have

presidential candidates are headed west. president obama is in nevada tonight holding a rally at desert pines high school. let's take a moment and listen in. >> i will use the money we are no longer spending on war to do nation building here at home, rebuilding roads and bridges and putting americans back to work and that's part of what makes america strong. that's what we're going to do. so this is the choice we face in the election, and this is what the election comes down to, and i know you must be tired of hearing ads, but you will hear moreover the next six weeks, and over and over again, you will hear my opponents talking about how bigger tax cuts and fewer regulations and that's the way to go, and since government can't do anything, it should do almost nothing. if you can't afford health care, then hope you don't get sick is their theory. if you can't afford colleg borrow money from your parents. you know what? that's not who we are. i don't think government can solve all of our problems, but government is nothe source of all of our problems, either. there's stuff we can d

going to see the first debate between mitt romney and president obama. health care is a key issue, one of the biggest, in fact. and it is back in the spotlight after romney said people without insurance can always just go to an emergency room. now, with barely a month ago before the election, i want to zero in on what is at stake here. since president obama's health care law was enacted, 3.1 million people under the age of 26 are now covered by their parents' plans, andñr preventiv care also is available. many benefitted from prescription drugs. >> seniors who fall in the coverage gap known as the donut help will start to get help. they receive $250, paying for prescriptions, helping with the donut hole. >> 5 million seniors have saved money on the prescription drugs since the law was started. he also plans to slow spending on medicare. >> i have strengthened medicare, we have added years to the life of medicare. we did it by getting rid of taxpayer subsidies and insurance companies that were not making people healthier. >> by 2014, the law requires everybody to have health insur

a nu obama echoed the themes a couple of days ago.he white pushed in to on such a high battered with public ul the speechics. isermbr. when hurts to haf people perhaps it question is tre as he wats of applause. i'm assembly members? was that public audience? l, we're trying ide with the palestinians, brought in delegations. they may have needed tickets for this and te, of theefore netanyahu had year. this time came equipped to back and both the received several roun usg up we do know that president obama is suppodo phone call with the i want to bring zakaria. ll what in the world might that be like? to say to netanyahu in that >> well, the lot. they just spent an hour talking a couple of days ago. i think it was netanyense that they talk a lot. they work together. there's a lot of intelligence cooperation. i don't think it's particularly friendly. but they see eye to eye on many of the issues involving iran. don't is on whether the united states needs to draw a bright line a very clear line as to when tliger an trigger amer strike. effect to single that in l talk about is someth

going to see the first first debate between mitt romney and president obama. health care is a key issue, one of the biggest, in fact, and it's back in the spotlight this week after romney said people without insurance can always just go to an emergency room. now, with barely a month to go before the election, i wanted to zero in on what's at stake here. since president obama's health care law was enacted, 3.1 million people under the age of 26 are now covered by their parents' plans, and preventive care is covered 100% by insurance companies. seniors in particular have benefitted on prescription drugs. >> seniors who fall in the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole will start getting some help. they'll receive $250 to help pay for prescriptions, and that will over time fill in the doughnut hole. >> 5.5 million seniors have saved a total of $4.5 billion on prescription drugs since it was enacted. hi also plans to slow spending on medicare. >> i've strengthened medicare. we've added years to life of medicare. we did it by getting rid of taxpayer subsidies that weren't making pea

. >>> countdown to debate night. just hours before barack obama and mitt romney's first head-to-head primetime face-off. >>> oh,man. disaster, but it's not accident. crash cameras show you what it could be like upon a doomed jet liner. >>> and a florida woman's close encounter with a protected mammal. you know this could land her in jail? >> that's a costly picture right there. >> oh, my goodness. good morning to you. thank you for being with us. welcome to "early start." i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm john berman. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. the big story this morning, it is go time. in just 16 hours all eyes will be on denver for the first presidential debate. president obama will be making his case for four more years and mitt romney trying to convince the country he is the better man for the job. now, right now it looks like voters need convincing on both sides because in a brand new cnn poll of polls it shows a very close race. the president maintaining a razor-thin three-point lead with a month to go at this point. our cnn political director mark preston is live from denver right in the m

call for mitt romney. president obama opening up a big lead in what may be the most crucial swing state in the united states. ohio. the republican candidate took note. >> welcome to cuyahoga county where we have more republicans register . we're going to deliver, too. so -- >> i need it in a big way, all right? >> he had a sense of humor, but he'll need more than just cuyahoga county to turn those poll numbers around. peter hamby joins me now. i know you had a chance to talk to strategists. what did they tell you? >> most republicans in ohio don't think the situation is that dire yet. they do acknowledge both inside the campaign and outside that they are losing and the main reason that the republicans in ohio point to is that romney doesn't really have a cohesive message and said this is why you should throw barack obama out and install me as president. the key issue is the bailout of chrysler and general motors that the president pushed through. they say romney hasn't been able to come up with a consistent answer to this and the obama campaign has been hammering on this. one republican

doors in practice sparring sessions. romney has listed senator rob portman to prep him while obama is working with senator john kerry. latest polls covered with that 47% remark hurting romney. in the battleground state of pennsylvania today. >> -- make sure america leads in our homes, in our economy and in our military. i need something from you. that's my commitment to you. i need you to go out and find somebody who voted for barack obama and get him to vote for me. >> he's down but not out. can he turn it around with an october surprise? let's welcome stephanie cutter. it's going reasonably well for you guys. it's been a good couple weeks, really since the conventions. you've got a bit of momentum but i guess you're not taking this too complacently. >> no, absolutely not, piers. you know, debates can be a pivotal moment in campaigns. i remember eight years ago when john kerry was getting ready to debate george bush, we were eight points down. coming out of that first debate we were tied with george bush. so there is an opportunity for mitt romney if he takes advantage of it next wed

have children. >> and his take on president obama and the economy. how has he managed to avoid public retribution for not fixing the economy better than he has done? >> because this is not a normal time. >> plus his extraordinary work with the clinton global initiative. >> we don't have to produce miracles. all we have to produce is progress. we just keep pushing these rocks up the hill. >> is the world ready for a clinton back in the office? >> i can run for president of ireland because of my irish heritage. >> this is "piers morgan tonight." good evening. the most powerful man and woman in the world are gathered in new york tonight at the u.n. and across town at the clinton global initiative. president obama spoke at cgi today. we'll get to that in a moment. he had tough talk on iran's nuclear program. >> let me be clear. america wants to resolve this through diplomacy and we believe that there is still time and space to do so. but that time is not unlimited. >> with just 42 days to go until the election, mitt romney blasted iran in his speech to the cgi. >> a voice of unspea

security and specifically who is a better friend of israel and there are signs the obama campaign is paying attention. at a military academy in pennsylvania, mitt romney tried to make the case for a new commander in chief. romney, once again, questioned the president's recent description of events in the middle east as bumps in the road. >> i sure as heck don't consider iran becoming a nuclear bump in the road. weeed someone who recognizes the seriousness of what is ahead and is willing to leave. >> reporter: romney's tough talk on iran follows benjamin netanyahu dramatic performance at the united nations drawing attention to his nuclear worries. >> a red line should be drawn right here. >> reporter: just days after the president declined to meet with netanyahu in new york, the two leaders spoke over the phone, but then hours later, romney, who enjoys a much friendlier relationship with netanyahu got his own call chatting with the israeli leader while sitting on a tarmac in philadelphia. it was a reminder of the power of the jewish/american vote where vice president joe biden defende

. it is crunch time for the presidential candidate, president obama and mitt romney only have three days to prepare for their first debate. president obama will prepay in nevada. he already arrived there, he'll be holding an evening rally and then concentrate on preparing for wednesday night's showdown. so what is at stake in this first debate? athena jones takes a look. >> reporter: both the obama and romney campaigns are doing their best to lower expectations ahead of wednesday's debate. >> we have expected all along that governor romney will have a good night, he's prepared more than any candidate in history. >> president obama is a very gifted speaker. the man's been on the national stage for many years, he's an experienced debater, he's done these kinds of debates before, this is mitt's first time on this kind of a stage. >> romney -- the president was widely regarded as one of the most talented political communicators in modern history. myers even pointed to a cnbc poll. the obama camp likes to remind volters that the president hasn't had as much time to prepare for the debate

for obama, that's down five points last month. keep in mind we're talking virginia, that's 13 electoral votes there. and check it out, similar story for you in florida. 29 electoral votes there. now, a one-point, one-point lead for obama, down from four points in september. we should mention here that poll shows the president still with the seven-point lead in ohio. we can't forget about ohio. but speaking nationwide here, the president's lead, in our cnn poll of polls, you can see it here, stands at 3 percentage points, unchanged. as we noticed today, kind of interesting, the president has gained one point and romney dropped one point. this is the gallup national tracking poll. obama with a six-point lead there, six-point lead in that one. the point to remember yet again here, game on in virginia. game on in florida with tonight's debate less than seven hours away. let's go straight to denver and to jim acosta. and, jim, does team romney, do they see the polls we ran through, is this a sign the race is tightening, is the wind in romney's sails, is it there going into tonight?

faceoffs. obama versus romney. >> how is it that you're the expert on my position when my position has been very clear? i'll tell you -- >> i'm the expert. i'm the expert, and i'm -- >> when he suggests that senator obama's plan is dangerous -- >> that's not the case. what he said was a precipitous withdrawal would be dangerous. he did not say -- >> he said -- >> sizing up the showdown with a man who has debated both 2012 candidates republican senator john mccain, and then the risk of being the frontrunner with obama's senior advisor david axelrod. plus, polls, ads, and early voting. with republican strategist alex castellanos, and cinderella and congressional correspondent dana bash. i'm candy crowley. this is "state of the union." >>> it would not be debate season if the political world and the campaigns didn't play the expectations game. >> the president is obviously a very eloquent, gifted speaker. he will do just fine. >> the president's campaign manager jim mecina called romney a very skilled debater and in an open memo to interested parties, senior advisor david axelroad just as

that. >> the obama administration is facing serious questions whether the deaths of the four men could have been prevented because of ongoing security concerns. the state department official says the u.s. is drawing down its staff and embassy in libya's capit capital. >>> we just got word mitt romney will have a phone call conversation with benjamin netanyahu and so will president obama. it comes two days after president obama stood before the united nations and warned against a nuclear iran. yesterday, netanyahu underscored iran having a nuclear bomb and shrugged off. he said the world may be months away from the point of no return. >> where should a red line be drawn? a red line should be drawn right here. befo before, before iran completes the second stage of nuclear enrichment necessary to make a bomb. before iran gets to a point where it's a few months away or a few weeks away from amassing enough enriched uranium from making a nuclear weapon. >> mahmoud ahmadinejad accused israel of carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing. netanyahu fired back saying the state hood of palesti

. and this is not a fact that is lost on our president mr. obama stumping there yesterday. >> i still believe in you. and if you keep on believing in me, i want you to register to vote by october 9th. i want you to start voting next tuesday, october 2nd. >> so paul steinhauser joins me now from washington, d.c. paul, let's go right back to iowa. everything begins in iowa. and we've got a recent poll that shows president obama has a seven point lead in iowa. so here's the guess. he wants to gets a many early votes in the bank in that state as possible and then move on with his person and his money. >> exactly. everybody knows iowa's that first state that votes in the primary and you caucus calendar and it's family us for that. it was the state that gave president obama -- senator obama his first victory. and he won iowa four years ago in the general election, considered a battleground state. both campaigns really going after it. four years ago goi, 545,000 iowans cast ballots early. and that was almost double what they did eight years prior. so early voting is important in iowa a

buried by taxes. they're being buried by borrowing. they're being buried by the obama administration's economic failures. >> reporter: romney campaign put together a conference call to draw attention, more focus to the comments by the vice president. the obama campaign pushed back saying this was just another act of desperation and what the vice president was talking about were -- were situations or a climate that was put in place by the failed policies of the former administration. i'll tell you what, at the very next event during his remarkings, the vice president did touch on the same subject but left out the word buried. soledad? >> walk us through the logistics of tonight. how's it going to run? >> reporter: right. well, first of all, it will focus on the domestic policies, focus on the economy, on health care, on the role of government. it will be a 90-minute debate. six segments of 15 minutes each. one main question per segment and two minutes to answer the question. the rest of the time will be for discussions. that's where we can expect some fireworks, perhaps. and in the audi

them honest on a campaign distortion that will not seem to die. the false claim that president obama is trying to take the work requirement out of welfare. in fact, mitt romney breathed new life into it just a few hours ago right here on cnn. the other day on "60 minutes" president obama said some of his campaign ads quote, go overboard. well, today in ohio, cnn's jim acosta asked mitt romney if he was willing to make a similar admission. here's an extended portion of that interview. >> just the other day, you said the president has been trying to fool people with his ads and his speeches about your record, but fact checkers have also taken issue with your ads. haven't you also played fast and loose with the facts from time to time? >> we've been absolutely spot-on and any time there's anything that's been amiss, we correct it or remove it. the president, on the other hand -- >> even the welfare ad? >> absolutely. look, it has been shown time and again that the president's effort to take work requirement out of welfare is a calculated move, the same thing he did with regards to food

ask top advisors to mitt romney and president obama what they think it will take to come out on top. >>> battleground america. on one side, the conservatives, if the election were today, president obama would win. on the other side, the liberal who says the debates are make or break for mitt romney. >>> also, marie osmond. what it would mean to her to see a mormon president. >> there's a lot of strange things said about, you know, our faith. >> marie osmond on her faith and family. >>> and my exclusive with european ryder cup winners, ian poulter and justin rose. a sporting moment so extraordinary even the men in the middle of it can't quite believe it happened. >> it really was one of the most remarkable comebacks i can think in any kind of sport. >> this is "piers morgan tonight." >>> good evening. our big story tonight, neck and neck with 36 days to go until the election, the latest cnn/orc poll has president obama at 50% and mitt romney at 47%, within the margin of error. the thing both sides are counting on to change it, wednesday's debate. president obama is in nevada for two

score political points. th first of speech the senator barack obama gave back in n,hampto virgia, conservativ collar"says it, oba's oer speech. the barely recognableobma claims gornment spends too ch on suburbs, not quote, ourh ffered from hurricane arew and for 9/11 attacks. >> down in new orleans whe they have no rebuild a year later, there's moy you c get from theovernmentcalled the staff ford ac and basical it says when you get federal money, you have to give a 10% local mch to come up with 10%. every $10 federal govenh, loca has to come up with dollar. now here's the thing, when 9/11 waved the saffordct saying we can't ask new york city to reild. they sad, here $10 andha was the right thing to do. when hurricanendrew strufn florida, people said, look this devastonou to com up with your own money. here's t money to rebuild we are not going to wait for you to scratcht gether. because you're part of the american family. >> what's happening down in new orlean where is your dollar? where is your staffordct makeso sense. doesn't mean the bullet has been taken out. tells me thaso

campaign. >> president barack obama and governor mitt romney preparing to face off in their first presidential debate. >> and here in denver, the candidates know what happens on this debate stage certainly could help sway the election. >> a president struggling with a slow economy, hoping to boost confidence in his leadership. >> i'm not fighting to create democratic and republican jobs, i'm fighting to create american jobs. >> a challenger fighting in the poll es trying to connect with average americans. after months of attacks on the campaign trial, it's time for these candidates to confront each other face to face. >> we will win this election, we will finish what we started! >> i will do better than this president has done for the american people! >> in colorado tonight, barack obama and mitt romney in their first presidential date. >> these debates are an opportunity for each of us to describe the pathway forward. >> what i'm most concerned about is having a serious discussion about what we need to do to keep the country growing. >> two men with different vision on issues vot

voted for obama in 2008 but is now undecided. >> there is no one that can speak for me solely across the spectrum on every issue. some republicans have great ideas, some independents have some great ideas and certainly some democrats do. and i think we as adults, with the right to vote in this country, need to make really good choices based on what resonates with us. and not necessarily across the party line. >> reporter: like so many members of the forgotten middle class, she and her fellow small business owners feel squeezed on all sides. kathleen curtis owns village roasters. >> the middle class is shrinking, isn't it? people are just plodding along, hoping social security will be there when they're ready to retire. >> reporter: kathleen says she hasn't been able to give herself a pay raise in three years. she has voted for democrats and republicans in the past. four years ago, she chose obama. but right now she is still undecided. >> at the time, i thought that he was the man for the job. and i would have to say after four years, i'm somewhat disappointed in the state of t

, i've got to get rid of obama care and replace it with something that will work. [ cheers a applause ] so two very different paths. one is the path the president proposed which is the status quo. his is the path of -- well, he calls it forward. i call it forewarned. it's the same series of policies he's put in place over the last four years, and they have not worked. if you don't believe me, look at the price of gasoline and look at the jobs in your community and the members of your family struggling for good work. if you don't believe me, look at the numbers that just came out in the growth of our economy. 1.3% verses russia at 4%. china at 7% to 8%. we're at 1.3%. this is unacceptable. it is not working. i know what it takes to get us working. he's put us on a road to europe. europe doesn't work in europe. i want to get us back to being america where people come here, build enterprises here. we fulfill american dreams. we keep the hope alive in america. [ cheers and applause ] and this matters. you know this matters. this counts. it counts for the 23 million people struggling to ge

obama and mitt romney, they are aggressively kourting them. jim acosta is traveling with a governor romney and he has a lot going on right now, jim? >> that's right, wolf. and mitt romney is out to make the case that the best defense is a better economy. >> in battle ground virginia both president obama and mitt romney pulled out the heavy artillery. romney slammed the president for the defense cuts coming at the end of the year. >> it is still a troubled and dangerous world and the idea of cutting our military commitment by a trillion over this decade is unthinkable. and devastating. and when i become president of the united states, we will stop it. i will not cut our commitment to our military. >> the president once again blasted romney's hidden camera comments on the 47% of americans he dubbed victims of government dependence. >> i don't think we can get very far with heed lookers who write-off half the nation as a bunch of victims who never take responsibility for their own lives. >> 47% people of the people -- >> the obama campaign turned romney's remarks into a devastating new

for barack obama to win and was it more important for the president to do this -- >> you're very happy that you came on with us, mrs. obama, and brought your date. >> i brought him. he had a few minutes in his schedule. >> i told folks i'm just supposed to be eye candy for you guys. >> -- than to meet with world leaders at the u.n. how do comedians come up with precisely the right way to mock to politicians and others? >> we have a very different plan on how to offer tax relief. >> thanks for spending a few moments with us. you, sir, are great. >> thank you. >> a conversation with daryl hammond. plus the media krieled foul again and again and again when an nfl replacement ref blows a big qaa. we'll blow the was on that high decibel coverage. i'm howard kufrt and this is "reliable sources." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> every day it seems the media is finding new reasons for why romney has fallen behind. as politico said the other day, maybe he's a lousy daenlt. someone commented maybe the polls are wrong. >> ed, do you buy this into this theory, look, mainstream media

. the first big showdown just three days away and both president obama and mitt romney are busy preparing. cnn takes a look at what's at stake. >> reporter: both obama and romney are looking to lower the stakes at this week's debate. >> mitt romney has prepared more than any other candidate in history. >> president obama is a very gifted speaker. the man has been on the national stage for many years. he's an experienced debater. he's done these kinds of debates before. this is mitt's first time on this kind of stage. >> beth myers said president obama is widely regarded as one of the most talented political communicators in modern history. the obama camp likes to remind voters that the president hasn't had as much time to prepare for the debates because he's busy being commander in chief. when it comes to just how much debates matter, it depends. >> most often debates don't make that big a difference. very few candidates ever win an election with a debate, but quite a few have lost an election with a debate. so it can matter. >> these match-ups can produce some memorable lines.

family of four would see their tax bill increase by $2,200 in 2013. jessica, president obama could win. congress could come back with the same composition that it has now. what does the president do, as i ask, between election day and the end of the year to protect americans from the fiscal cliff? >> well, there's, obviously, two scenarios. but one where he will not extend the bush tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. so, the fiscal cliff is going to be folded in in some way into renegotiating the tax cuts and how they get extended. and i think he'll say it's a no go. i'm fought going to extend the bush tax cuts. so, either we can negotiate it now in these few remaining weeks before christmas or we can face a government shut down. i think there will be a little bit of chicken game playing at the end of the year. and what most people in washington think will likely happen is they'll negotiate some way to say, here's a broad framework for what both sides want, let's work it out next year. we'll see. >> sheila, i kind of think americans are a little dilutional they are about the economi

president obama, former massachusetts governor mitt romney will go at it tonight head-to-head, face-to-face, and while they're on the stage, whole lot will be happening behind the scenes. want to bring in cnn political director mark preston who gives us a look. >> heetsz head inside where the action is going to take place. >> she must be wonder whoing will be sitting in the audience tonight for this first presidential debate. i don't know the answer, but peter here with the commissioner on presidential debates does. >> on wednesday night at the university of denver we'll have students, vip's, and those that the campaigns have invited. they'll be on floort and on the balcony behind us. >> how do you get invited if you don't get an invitation from one of the candidates? >> it would be very difficult to get into the debate. >> who is going to be at that far podium? >> at the far podium will be governor romney, and then at the near podium will be president obama. >> how is it going to work? who will get the first question? >> mr. layer will direct the first question to president obama.

supporter of freedom for libya. he supported president obama's action to remove gadhafi. he's been critical of how the administration has handled the benghazi aftermath. we spoke earlier today. take a look. what do you make of the response by the administration in the early days, ambassador rice, and now what they're saying now, they're now saying it was a terrorist attack. the president diuse the word terror early on in the rose garden, but we heard from ambassador rice, who is saying link this to the video that's been released. what do you see as going on? >> i see a fundamental misunderstanding in the larger picture and then on the smaller picture. on the smaller picture, they were either incredibly naive or willfully deceiving the american people. i don't know which, but to think an attack of this nature with heavy weapons, mortars, and a very sophisticated direct fire and indirect fire, that somehow that could be the result of a spontaneous demonstration is just impossible for me to understand. >> let me just throw in a third option, though, which supporters of the administrat

2013. jessica, president obama could win, congress could come back with the same composition is has now. what does the president do between election day and the end of the year to protect americans from the fiscal cliff? >> obviously there's two scenarios. one where he will not extend the bush tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. so the fiscal cliff is going to be folded in some way into renegotiating the tax cuts and how they get extended. i think he'll say it's a no-go, i'm not going to extend the bush tax cuts, so either we can negotiate it now and these few remaining weeks before christmas, or we have see the government shut down. i think therwill be a little chicken game playing at the end of the year. what most people in washington likely think will happen is they'll negotiate some way to say here's a broad framework for what both sides want. let's work it out next year. >> sheila behr, i think americans are excited about the future. i'm glad people are feeling a little bit better about it, we all are. what has to happen so that a year if now we're not talking about the 9% v

military. and that's our economy. you have to have a strong economy. >> president obama was rallying supporters in virginia beach. that was a couple minutes ago. he talked about creating opportunities for everybody. >> we don't believe anybody is entitled to sucssthis country. we don't believe government should help folks who aren't willing to try to help themselves. but we do believe in sothing called opportunity. we do believe in a country where hard work pays off, where responsibility is rewarded, where everyone gets a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share and everybody plays by the same rules. we believe in america where no matter what you look ke, no matter who you are, no matter where you come from, no matter who you love, u n make it if y. [ cheers and applause ] that's the country i believe in. >>> jim acosta is covering the romney campaign. jim, one of the interesting things back in 2008 in covering president obama, you knew that there was a sense that he could possibly win when people started showing up in virginia. i mean that was really th turning pot. they th

voters be confused and unable to comply? joining me now is john avlon. listen to mrs. obama over the weekend. >> we cannot let anyone discourage us from casting our ballots. we cannot make anyone make it feel unwelcome in the voting booth. it's up to us to make sure that in every election, every voice is heard and every vote is counted. that means making sure our laws preserve that right. monitoring the polls to make sure every eligible voter can exercise that right. >> so john, so many new laws. so many different requirements now. poll workers are going to have a field day trying to figure out what it all means. is there the potential for chaos at the polls come november? >> is there the potential? absolutely. we're changing the rules. that leads to a degree of uncertainty. people who haven't had to show id befo i.d. before in certain states will have to do so. some folks may be afraid of that. we have a tortured history of voting rights in this country. laws strike an emotional button. we have instances in the past of voter fraud. the fact that this has happened in so many states i

seems expressly designed to score political points, the first, of a speech then-senator barack obama gave back in 2007. the daily caller bills it as "obama's other race speech," a barely recognizable obama. says lavr ishes praise on reverend wright, claims the government spends too much on suburbs, not enough on "our neighborhoods." earlier, we played the clip about where he praised jeremiah wright. and now the difference of the response of hurricane katrina to hurricane andrew. >> down in new orleans, there is a federal law called the stafford act. the local government has to give a match. here is the thing. when 9/11 happened in new york city, they waved the stafford act. forget that dollar you have to put in. here is $10. and that was the right thing to do. when hurricane andrew struck in florida, they said look at this devastation, don't expect you to put that money in. what's happening in new orleans? where is your dollar, where is your stafford act money? makes no sense. tells me the but let hasn't been taken out. tells me that somehow the people in new orleans, they don't care

advice for president obama and mitt romney? >> you've got to be able to look right into the screen and to communicate with the people. >> what does arnold schwarzenegger want to hear from the candidates? >> how are they going to bring both of the parties together and compromise rather than getting stuck in the idealogical corners. >> this is "piers morgan tonight." >>> good evening. our big story tonight, d-day. debate day is just 24 hours away. president obama and mitt romney are deep into their final debate preparation as the clock ticks down for the big event in denver. meanwhile, their top surrogates are out on the campaign trail. paul ryan speaking out for romney in iowa. >> a handful of states will determine this outcome. a handful of states will determine which way our country goes. so you not only have a huge responsibility, you have a tremendous opportunity. >> meanwhile, michelle obama has been stumping for her husband, the president, in ohio. >> this election will be even closer than the last one. that is the only guarantee. understand that. >> against that backdrop i sat do

. >> reporter: president obama said a tight lid must stay on the syrian arsenal. >> we have been very quick to the assad regime and also to other players on the ground that are red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons being moved around or utilized. >> reporter: concerns about the weapons. recent bombs of government buildings in damascus and stepped up fighting all underscoring the rebels are taking the fight to the regime's power centers. a senior administration official tells cnn that president obama's red line on syria's chemical and biological weapons is all about the potential use of those weapons and the latest intelligence shows that there is no evidence that is about to hap aen. deb, victor. >> barbara starr, thank you so much. we will take you to the region live for more on this story coming up in just a few minutes. >>> president obama spoke with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu over the phone for about 20 minutes yesterday. the white house reaffirmed his commitment to israel security and agreed they must prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon

preparation for the presidential debate, president obama and mitt romney are going to see the first one right here on wednesday. that debate is coming. and you're going to see where they are in the process of preparing in just a moment. the debates and the election, of course, are serious. and that would be our first story. serious. until we discovered this video, stunning video shot from the helmet of a u.s. soldier, it seems like a video game. but this is not xbox which you're about to see. it is real. the pentagon is telling us it happened, it happened in afghanistan in april. afghanistan is a place we have not heard these candidates talk about much, have we? nothing from romney during the republican convention, very little from obama, especially at the u.n. this last week. the debates will likely be a different story because this weekend the death toll for americans in the war surpassed the 2000 mark. the soldier who made the helmet cam video suffered only minor wounds and has returned to duty. but it's amazing that he suffered only minor wounds when you see this incredible stor

$8,000. hurry in before they're all gone! i'm barack obama and i approve this message. romney: "it's time to stand up to the cheaters" vo: tough on china? not mitt romney. when a flood of chinese tires threatened a thousand american jobs... it was president obama who stood up to china and protected american workers. mitt romney attacked obama's decision... said standing up to china was "bad for the nation and our workers." how can mitt romney take on the cheaters... when he's taking their side? [ male announcer ] this is rudy. his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ ♪ and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. >>> all the world knows that one of amadinejad's targets is israel. war of words between amadinejad and benjam

vote for romney or obama? >> wait. i thought you were registering voters a minute ago. >> i am. >> who are you registering? all voters? >> well, i'm actually trying to register people for a particular party because we're out here in support of rom my, actually. >> and who is paying you for this? >> oh, the -- let me see. we're working for the county clerk's office. >> okay. you cannot come out here and register one party, lady. are you working for the county clerk's office? i got it all on tape. are you working for the county clerk's office? >> i believe so, yes. >> and you are only registering republicans? >> nope. >> you said we're only registering romney people. >> well, we're trying to, to be honest. >> and you're working for the county's office? what's your name? >> well, that seemingly confused young woman did not work for the county clerk's office. instead she worked for strategic allied consultants. the executive director of the county's republican party said the company's bad business practices led to that incident. >>> voter registration is even more important now wit